On the Road but a ' Reluctant Participant'.

I just took the Chatelaine 'What's your exercise personality?' quiz. I usually avoid quizzes especially ones where everyone can see your results but this time I thought... why not? I am a fitness instructor. Love it! but still find I can think of any excuse not to workout. After doing this little quiz I realize I have a title ' Reluctant Participant'. I realize all the benefits but would rather relax.
Boy did it read me! Once I am starting my routine I can think of a million exercises to and don't want to stop. The hour or two just disappears - especially if there are others I am working out with or training. (the social part!)
But to actually start - that is the hard part. I am sure there are others who relate to this. Take the quiz and let me know 'What your exercise personality is?'
Have a great workout!


Quiz: What's your exercise personality?
Find a fitness plan that works for you!
By Katherine Balpataky
Your score indicates that you are a Reluctant participant.
Reluctant participant Whether it's your busy schedule, love of relaxing at home, or apprehensions about the gym, you find it difficult to get into a steady exercise routine. You understand that the benefits of exercise are important enough to make it a priority, but when other things come up, your exercise ambitions often get tossed by the wayside.
Try these tips to turn your inhibition into ambition:
· Pencil it in Take a look at your schedule and write down all the opportunities you have to get active. If possible, try to find a consistent time slot. If that means you will have to get up when everyone else in your house is sleeping, try it for a couple weeks and see if your body can handle the shift. Or if your lunch break is your only free time, start by planning your lunchtime workouts ahead of time so that you can be sure to put the hour to good use.
· Do what you love If you don't enjoy time spent sweating on the treadmill, it's time to find something new. If you have already invested money in a course or gym that you no longer wish to use, try pleading with the manager. If they won't give you a refund, vow to find a new activity that's free or relatively cheap. It's better to get into a regular walking routine than to sporadically attend the high-intensity boxercise class you dread.
· Set your goals Determine what you would like to accomplish with your exercise routine. If increasing the frequency is your main goal, set your schedule, tell your family and associates that you are booking the time off for yourself and promise yourself that exercise will be a high-ranking priority. To improve the quality of your workout, track your progress with our Printable fitness log. If you want to feel better about your body, set a realistic goal for yourself and keep your eyes on the prize!
When you're in your fitness groove, you escape the stress of the day.

On the Road at Night

Fitness, health and happiness is a journey for day and night. I love a campfire. I had the pleasure of travelling up the Ottawa Valley to Madagascar to enjoy a BBQ, campfire and great company.

The day started out with terrible rain and I nearly didn't make it out the door. But with salads in hand I headed out to the car and a delightful trip along the river. Ontario is full of great scenery. Explore our backyard!

Tripping down the Road

What a fantastic weekend. The sun shone all day, even when they kept changing the forecast. I headed down to the cottage on Devil Lake near Westport on Friday afternoon. Thought well if it rains I get to read allot. But instead it was perfect. I read rocking on the hammock, under the trees, listening to the birds, watched the dragonflies(what a lot of them). A stress free day! Went for a swim ( you can count that as a bit of exercise but mostly I just cooled off!) Looked at the canoe... and the water, leaves, bugs, and yuck and decided ... not today. The last time I went in the canoe by myself the wind came up and I paddled in circles scaring myself as I drifted farther away. Devil Lake is a big lake. Something like 50 miles of shoreline. Turns out when you are alone in the canoe you sit at the back but that becomes the front and more of the canoe is behind you. Who knew? Well I do now but haven't had the courage to try again. Need more practice with someone else in the canoe and then will try it by myself.
Saturday I did do the cottage owner bit and cleaned up the screened in porch, swept off the spider webs and hunted for the new wasp hives. A couple had started. Had fun hosing down the cottage. Got wet! Felt like a kid! Great feeling!
Then read. Oh and worked on the crotchet blanket for my newest grandson, Jake.
Now you might wonder why on a fitness blog I would bother mention this relaxing weekend. Well STRESS reduces the weight loss process! So you need to relax to get your body ready for the task on hand... which is staying healthy.
I am also working on a NEW DIET.... EAT WHAT I WANT! Now that sound ridiculous! BUT ... there is always a BUT... You have to decide WHAT IT IS YOU WANT! and that is not just for food... like that delicious ... dessert... snack... extra helping... WHAT IT IS YOU WANT! Hey I said it again... Do you want to be healthy? live longer? play with your kids? grandkids? loose weight? feel energized? Or just feel good? All the questions you ask yourself but this time there is a difference. When you want something you have to decide if that will keep me on the path I have chosen? will it make me feel better? Help me loose weight? Stay the same weight? Be good for me?
Now you can decide that the cheesecake is going to taste soooo good it is worth it. So eat it! IT IS WHAT YOU WANT! Now you have another choice to make. Do nothing! or do something!

3500 calories make 1 pound. That is 1 extra muffin a day! and at the end of the week it is a pound. Oh that is why I never get rid of the extra around the middle. I work out then I treat myself. Dumb!
So tonight after I got home (checked my email, watered the plants) then went for an hour walk! That is what I did for ME!

Tomorrow back to workout at 5:50 am.
Enjoyed my stress free weekend. Hope you enjoyed yours!

Back on the Road

Some days no matter what you want to do your body just isn't ready. Woke up with a headache and progressed from there. Slept the day away.
Ladies came for their walk and work out. So they stayed on track.
Today a NEW day and back on routine. Up for our 5:50 work out. Great warm up with medicine ball and then a 30 minute routine. As the other fitness enthusiast said 'wasn't that hard when we started?' We have progressed way beyond the starting routine but sometimes it is good to go back and check form and make sure you are doing it correctly.... and maybe just working that bit harder now you know how to do it. We finished with a 14 minute cool down. Good to take the time to really stretch your body. Works so much better that way.
Now to cut the grass before it gets much hotter. :) We are enjoying great very hot days 30+

On the Road to Health and Fitness

Everyone is looking for the perfect fit. Whether it is health, wealth or love! and I am no different. Growing up in the fifties and sixties exercise wasn't a big thing. As long as you could ride a bike, swim a bit you got by. Unless you were a jock! and I wasn't! My fondness memory of a sports related activity was catching a baseball (with my lip) blood everywhere! but I didn't drop it and we won the game! (at least in my memory we did)! I went home to get cleaned up. Mom wanted me to stay home but ... hey I was the hero of the day and had to go back. I think that might have been the only game I played. No point in ruining a good thing!
So getting back to exercise... and that is what I am blogging about. My journey to health, wealth and fitness! Still looking for every thing, including the love bit. Had it but lost it somewhere on the journey to wisdom.
Fitness is something you loose. And quickly! I mean you don't use it you loose it - muscles, the ability to jog, swing from a monkey bar,(well some people can do it!). You get the idea. It is some fantastic rate - like 8 % for the first week and increases or should I say decreasing our muscles. (I will look up the stats).

So how do you get muscles? The experts say only 2 ways: growing up and exercising (preferable with weights).

Why do we need muscles? Well to move! get out of a chair! walk! even comb our hair! Everything uses muscles. And if that doesn't interest you what about breathing - our lungs use muscles, our liver, ... well all our orgins are muscles. In the end we all need to exercise - not just to 'get in shape' but to BE. Be the best we can be! The best just to live!



So this is my journey. I am still on it and hopefully will be for a long long time.

Exercise is not something I grew up with but I am learning to like and now well getting there to love. (if you can call it that).

So I bought a gym! Hey where did that come from? (more on that journey in another blog)

I have been on the most interesting journey for the last few years. Some people said "write a book!" Instead I will write a blog of my journey as I remember it. Somethings I still try to forget but hang on and maybe you can laugh, or ... enjoy my adventure.